Glass features keep Phoenix high-rise cool

January 01, 2010 |

A 26-story, 700,000-sf glass-clad tower has become downtown Phoenix's first office high-rise in eight years. One Central Park East, developed by Mesirow Financial, designed by SmithGroup, and built by Holder Construction Company, contains 495,000 sf of office space spanning 16 floors, plus a nine-level parking lot and ground-floor retail space. For shading and heat-gain reduction, the $175-million building uses a gradient frit on its east and west facades. The south wall is lined with dichroic glass, which changes its properties over the course of the day.

The report, “Spending Through the Roof,” says that apartment building owners pay an average of $3,400 a year to replace heat lost through the roof. In taller buildings, the cost can be more than $20,000 a year. Illustration: Urban Green Council